inalute to the guest of honor, india's prime minister, there were prominent indian-americans including one who might one day want to live in the white house himself, louisiana governor bobby jindal. they came, they toasted -- >> let our two great nations realize all the triumphs and achievements that await us. cheers. >> reporter: they ate vegetarian cuisine. and they were entertained by "american idol" jennifer hudson from this side of the world, and from bollywood, by ayar rahmin of "slumdog millionaire" fame. veg began lentil soup and dessert. state dinners can be a gauge of the economy. president clinton held 29. a decade earlier, president reagan held 57. no president wants to be seen sipping champagne in a recession. jeremy and vinita? >> certainly was beautiful. >> it was gorgeous. here's a look at your wednesday forecast. most of the nation can expect clear weather today. great news for travelers.

there will be light rain or snow along the great lakes and into the northeast. most of florida will get rain. showers in washington state. wind advisories in effect around los angeles. >> 50s along the east coast today. 53 in boston and baltimore more. 66 in new orleans. 84 in miami. 49 in denver. 52 in albuquerque. 53 in portland. 82 in los angeles. there is a new version of a queen classic that has gone viral on the internet. it's a cover of the glam rock band "behomian rhapsody" and it comes from, who else, the muppets. ♪ i see a little silhouette of a clam ♪ ♪ will you do the fan dang go >> doing freddie mercury proud. people seem to be taking it as a five-minute antidote for holiday stress. crank up the volume, sit back ala wayne's world and watch the crew from gonzo to miss piggy belt it out, which is what we're going to do right now. we'll be right back.

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we know what it takes to get you your power chair it's our strength. it's our mission. and we back it up with the scooter store guarantee. if we qualify you and medicare denies your claim for a new powerchair or scooter, i'll give it to you absolutely free. i paid into medicare all my life, and when i needed it the benefit was there for me. the scooter store made it so easy. i didn't pay a penny out of pocket for my power chair. the scooter store got me back out in the world again. talk to. there is a medicare benefit that may qualify you for a new power chair or scooter at little to no cost to you.

the space shuttle "atlantis" is set to undock from the international space station this morning in preparation for the big trip back here to earth. >> that's right. the crew's been working on completing construction on the space station. they'll spend thanksgiving in space, making the best of a nontraditional menu featuring chicken fajitas, beef brisket, and sweet and sour pork. the commander says the holiday isn't about what you eat, it's the people you spend it with. >> i'd love to see how they do fajitas in outer space. with the sauce. back her on earth, the kind of car that would make james bond die for. a team of british engineers hoping to build a vehicle that can travel more than 1,000 miles an hour. >> they are calling it the bloodhound and it will be a jet and a rocket-propelled car. the bbc's robert hall has more. >> reporter: the awesome power of an raf typhoon. this is the technology which will propel uk record-breakers

towards what had been an impossible dream. meet the bloodhound super sonic car. revealed for the first time in its final design. the design which accommodates not just a typhoon jet engine, but also a second booster rocket and a racing car engine to provide auxiliary power, all combined to take the bloodhound faster than ever before. >> it's a hugely challenging thing. at the moment the current record stands at 773 miles an hour. you're only just going through the sound barrier, mach 1.03. we're going to take it up to over 1,000 miles an hour. >> reporter: design work and test firings are complete. construction is about to begin. all the team need is the perfect site for the record-breaking run. after searching four continents they found it in south africa. the hakskeen pan, a dry lakebed in the northern cape. >> it's absolutely critical. choose the wrong place and we

are doomed. the car will not run. we'll either destroy it or we'll fail or the weather will defeat us. we have found i genuinely believe for the first time the perfect place. >> reporter: the team behind bloodhound are keen to stress this isn't just another record attempt. the fact that they're here at the nec underlines their message, that the project is not about 7-indulgence, but inspiration. they're here to draw more children towards science and engineering. over 2,000 schools have already become project partners. until now, the dream has existed as virtual reality. at last the pieces are in place and an audience around the world will follow the countdown to a spectacular finale. robert hall, bbc news. >> so if your average passenger jet goes 500 mires or, so that's twice as fast as that. you could be in denver in an hour and a half. >> that's the by i'd like to travel from here on out.

>> that would be pretty cool. i'd like for them to do several thousand tests on it. >> before you strap in. >> before i hop aboard. sounds great. it has been a quarter century believe it or not since band-aid. >> you remember this song. ♪ feed the world the first high-profile ever to raise a lot of money and consciousness. we'll look back next. - are you chronically ill and can't work? are you mentally ill and can't work?

are you physically disabled and can't work? then the law firm of disability associates should be working for you. for years, disability associates has been working with our clients to get them the social security benefits that they deserve. don't be just another client at another law firm. - depend on disability associates because social security disability law is all that we do. it was 25 years ago that british singers produced a song they hoped would help end famine in the african nation of ethiopia. >> there quickly formed a group band-aid and the single "do they know it's christmas time" helped raise millions of dollars. some band members appeared on "good morning america." ♪ let them know it's christmas time ♪ ♪ feed the world

>> it all started three weeks ago as a way for britain's top pop music stars to raise money for famine relief in ethiopia. this week "do they know it's christmas" became britain's fastest-selling single ever. bob geloff was a singer with the boomtown rats. he helped bring together boy george, duran duran, wham, and sting from the group police, and all 37 pop stars to record under the name band-aid. bob gulloff is with us here in new york this morning. joining us from london are simon la bon and john taylor, members of duran duran. good morning. first of all, bob, what prompted you to -- where'd the idea come from, how'd it get started? >> it was the bbc report from ethiopia, in particular the scene where the 23-year-old woman had to choose 300 people who would live from a field of 10,000 starving others. no human should have to do that.

it affected me the same as it obviously affected everybody in band-aid, and indeed throughout the world. >> but you don't just -- something like this just doesn't happen. how were you able to put it together? what kind of responses did you get? >> the day i thought of it i pumped into gary kemp, who's the guitar player with spandau ballet, simon was with friends, i gave him a ring, gave sting a ring. if you think about that it actually constitutes most of the top five of the known world. and you don't think about your friends like that. but that's what happened. when we had those, then the rest fell into place. >> simon, what was your reaction when bob talked to you about it? >> well, he asked me to do the record. and i just said yes, definitely. because as bob said, it's something which we already care about. and if you have a chance to actually do something and to be positive, stand up as a symbol to say, you can do something about the world's problems at the moment, you should do it. that's what we all thought.

>> john, just a week now and more than 1 million records sold. fastest-selling ever in britain. it's just barely getting started here. are you surprised by the worldwide response? >> yeah, i am. i mean, i just think it's -- i just think it's put my faith back in human nature, i think, to an extent. it shows the power that mere pop groups can have, you know. especially when it's dealing with a humane problem rather than a political one. >> bob, how much money do you think you're really going to be able to raise? how much out of each record someone buys is actually going to reach people in ethiopia? >> well, simon and john have just told me it's britain's biggest-selling record ever, as well as its fastest single. we've now sold more than 2.25 million. at least $1 million. i think hopefully we will exceed the total unicef budget for this one record for 1985. >> is there any way to tell yet how long it will take the dollars that people pay for the

record to actually get to the people of ethiopia in the form of food? >> it will take to june, which is one of the original ideas in the first place. because when the publicity dies down and the rains fail again, as they inevitably will, there's going to be a terrible problem which today's situation will just look petty in comparison to it. >> there's plenty of government coming in right now -- >> there isn't plenty of government help. i read in the new york times this morning the sort of brouhaha that the -- that's going on between washington. it's pathetic. people are dying. please stop arguing. buy this record, it will save lives this christmas. that must be the ultimate gift in people's power to give the gift of life. please buy it and do something. >> simon and john, looking back on the experience of going through this, how do you feel about it? >> very proud. very proud indeed. it's been a great way of us being able to do something by using our talents rather than our pockets. and i think we both feel it's

one of the most important things we've ever done. >> very proud to be part of a bunch of people who, although they come from different angles, different political views, can get together because they believe it so strongly, something as important as this. >> what's the feeling? tune any of you would ever want to do this again? is this the beginning of something? >> i think it's definitely proved to us that we can do a little bit more than just make pop records. yeah i think we probably -- it's the first time we've ever done anything in that kind of -- >> that's right, and more than that. the whole project will be absolutely useless if it's not sustained over the next couple of years. just this one effort won't be enough on its own. the feeling has to be sustained and the enthusiasm does too. >> bob, simon, john, thank you all for joining us this morning. and for stepping out when it's needed. >> a look at the group band-aid in our american landscape coverage wide receiver it was sort of of the start of rock star philanthropy.

the u.s. had its own answer, usa for africa. all those artists got together and did that song. >> 47 artists in total led by michael jackson and lionel ritchie, a great group. >> billy joel, cyndi lauper, dionne warwick and more. stick around, "papers" coming up.

"world news now" delivers your "morning papers." >> well, you know, yesterday we mentioned that willis chambers jr. has been with this fine company, the walt disney company, for 30 years. we would be remiss if we didn't mention some other fine people on our staff that have also suffered through these hours for a long, long time. al ferry, editing supervisor, you didn't see him but he does great work for your show, 45 years here at abc. >> such a nice guy, congratulations. >> also donna schroeder in graphics, 25 years. manny kabrow, associate producer, he's been here 25 years as well. a lot of people have endured this place for a long time.

>> these are all the people that make our show what it is. we really do appreciate you guys and congratulations. >> to make our show what it is, i don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. >> it was supposed to be a compliment. it was meant as a compliment. are you okay, willis? >> i think he's getting fired, he dropped something. after 30 years, this is it. >> he doesn't want to share the lime night. >> he dropped his jiminy cricket statue, i think. >> congratulations and let's get to your "papers." this first one is very funny. it comes from, where else, "the daily mail." before you show the pictures, when you have tall hedges, which i don't have, i imagine it's difficult to trim them. >> you don't even have a yard. >> i don't. this particular guy thought of an idea. why don't i take my riding lawnmower and hoist it to a crane? take a look at the images. he said it started off as a joke, he thought he'd film the whole thing and put it on an internet. he couldn't find a camera and then thought, this is a pretty

good idea, i'm going to go ahead and do it anyway so he did. he says it took him 20 minutes to tidy the hedge. he knows it wasn't the safest method but his wife came home, who had no idea what was going on, and she wasn't upset. she said, thank you for trimming the hedges. >> that it looks funny but that has a high margin of error. a lot could have gone wrong. >> luckily a lot of people do not have cranes sitting around. >> that's true. hopefully he's versed in how to use one. if you go to south africa, be warned. there are some newfound felons out there. these aren't the sort of criminals you might expect. these are baboons. they're stealing everything. apparently this has become a real big problem. the primates have learned how to pry open car doors and jump through windows to chase down sandwiches and snacks. they're worried with the influx of visitors to capetown during the world cup next year, this could be a real problem. tuesday, apparently 29 baboons raided four cars in one little town, ransacked a bag in the

back seat of one car, a girl screamed nearby as a baboon hopped into her car through

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send me some. text me. looming decision. president obama sounds closer than ever to unveiling his afghanistan war strategy. >> it is my intention to finish the job. >> he'll announce his decisions in a speech next tuesday. be flexible. that's what an expert has told me about saving some money and finding the best travel deals during the holiday season. and the winner is -- ♪ >> well, let's just say there's a new "dancing with the stars" champion and we'll tell you who it is coming up. it's wednesday, november 25th. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." >> while i like the winner, the person i was rooting for didn't

win. >> but the song you like was on the show, right? >> i was joking saying i wanted this song to be worked in somehow. whitney sang it last night. excellent job david banfield. >> you got your first request. >> i did. the list continues. >> we will get to find out who won the show coming up in just a few minutes. >> good morning and thanks for being with us. i'm vinita nair. >> i'm jeremy hubbard. president obama heads into the long holiday weekend with his mind made up about a new strategy for afghanistan. >> president obama says he is very confident that the american people will support his decision. but just what will that decision be? our john hendren has a preview from washington. >> reporter: it's decision time on afghanistan. >> it is my intention to finish the job. >> reporter: administration officials say after his ninth and final war council meeting, president obama will announce within days that he will send in more than 30,000 additional

troops. that's less than the 40,000 requested by the commander of u.s. forces there, general stanley mcchrystal, but still a 50% increase. >> it is in our strategic interest, in our national security interest, to make sure that al qaeda and its extreme its allies cannot operate effectively in those areas. >> reporter: some democrats are calling for a war tax to cover the $1 million it costs to send every troop. >> if this war is important enough to fight it's important enough to pay for. >> reporter: the decision is unlikely to satisfy critics who say the president has already taken too long to send in reinforcements to an increasingly hostile front. >> it frustrates me and frightens me and many americans that president obama is dithering around with the decision in afghanistan. >> the military people are getting a little frustrated with the delay in making the decision. it's really time for the president to make the call. >> reporter: time and public support are not on the president's side. the latest abc news poll found

that the number of americans who say the war has been worth fighting has dropped to a new low of 44%. john hendren, abc news, washington. former top pentagon officials investigating the ft. hood shootings have visited the site of the attack. one-time army secretary togo west and former navy chief vernon clark are heading the 45-day review of military procedures. the two officials also visited a military hospital and spoke to some of the first responders who were wounded in the attack. reports coming out later this morning should provide a clear picture of how the economy is shaping up in the final three months of the year. for now the government says recovery is taking longer than expected thanks to rising unemployment and consumers still neg carla wohl has details. >> reporter: the line for free turkeys and all the trimmings stretched for blocks in los angeles. people camped out to get the free food. an indication of just how tough times still are. >> i told my sister that it was

going to be like this because a lot of people is out of work right now. >> yeah, no work, there's no jobs, the people will get laid off, people losing their houses. >> reporter: according to one report, nearly one-quarter of homeowners owe more on their mortgages than the home is worth and the job market remains bleak with unemployment at 10.2% sapping consumer confidence going into the all-important holiday shopping season. >> it's just a very difficult environment for people and it's really not going to get a whole lot better probably for another half year or so. >> reporter: consumers are expected to watch their pennies. stores are offering early bargains to try to lure them in. >> sometimes they'll have great deals right now, sometimes it's better to wait until closer to christmas. >> reporter: economists predict holiday sales will be up slightly from last year. and there are other signs of hope. >> the good news is that the recession is over and the economy is expanding. we're seeing that in almost all the numbers. >> reporter: still, economists

predict it could be late xt yearmen rate comes down and up years before the economfull recovers. carla wohl, abc news, los angeles. senator ted kennedy's widow is speaking publicly for the first time since her husband's death. in an appearance to air today on oprah winfrey's show, vicki kennedy talks about her husband's battle with cancer. she knocks down speculation she might one day fill his senate seat. ten kennedy jr. speaks emotionally about the religious h whd ad sustained his father there has been another settlement in connection with alleged sexual abuse by priests this one in alaska. the fairbanks diocese has agreed to pay $10 million to 300 victims. the money is to be divided according to the severity of the abuse. a deal could be finalized by early next year. the hatches are closed on the space shuttle "atlantis" and it is set to undock the ntenl set to undock the morning. the hours the last few days unloading 30,000 pounds of spare

parts and working to complete the space station. they'll spend thanksgiving in space without the usual turkey and timm instead their menu will feature chicken fajitas, beef brisket, and sweet and sour por. almost every ethnicity represented there. speaking of ethnicities and dinner menus, a slightly more sophisticated menu at the obama white house first state dinner including potato and eggplant salad, green curry prawns, tart with pears poached in honey that came from the white house be >> delicious sundi of course it was the dinner in honor of india's prime minister. the 338 person guest list was packed with washington insiders, hollywood a-listers and plenty of representatives from the news media, including our own robin roberts. >> we would be remiss if we did not mention our own vinita nair was invited to a luncheon in washington. >> the luncheon, not the dinner. i wanted to go badly. >> we wanted you to go. >> missed an excellent menu too. >> you did. the year of the indian continues.

a lot yu the great lakes region sees the stormiest weather y. mostly rain but snow after florida will get rain, some of it heavy. mountain snow mostly in washington state. and it will be dry elsewhere. 84 miami 60s across much of south. 64 in atlanta. 66 in dallas. colder up north. 38 for minneapolis. 34 in fargo and 66 in sacramento. time to talk about "dancing with the stars," and there was an upset victory. in this season. singer mya and her partner dmitry chaplain were ahead going into last night's finale because of their consistently strong technical performance. >> donny osmond and kym johnson stepped on the gas during the last rounds and they finished with an impressive argentine tango. the former teen pop star went home with the coveted mirabal trophy, the first male in four seasons to win the top honor. >> did you see when they called his name? he was so seriously focused you could tell he really wanted it. he went over and grabbed his

wife, it was very sweet. picked her up, brought her onto the stage. >> he got it. we'll be right back with more "world news now." [ male announcer ] for a better-looking tomorrow. vicks nyquil cold & flu. the nighttime sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, [ water drips ] [ snorts ] [ male announcer ] for a better-looking tomorrow. because everyone sleeps differently. ♪ ,

assistance getting around their homes. there is a medicare benefit that may qualify you for a new power chair or scooter at little to no cost to you. stay tuned for this important medicare benefit information and free scooter guarantee. imagine... one scooter or power chair that could improve your may entitle you to pay little to nothing to own it. one company that can make it all happen ... your power chair will be paid in full. the scooter store. why should you call the scooter store today? because their mobility experts are also medicare experts. and that means the scooter store is your best shot at qualifying for a scooter that costs you little to nothing. hi i'm doug harrison.

pay little to nothing out of pocket. how do we do it? we know what it takes to get you your power chair it's our strength. it's our mission. and we back it up with the scooter store guarantee. if we qualify you and medicare denies your claim for a new powerchair or scooter, i'll give it to you absolutely free. i paid into medicare all my life, and when i needed it the benefit was there for me. the scooter store made it so easy. i didn't pay a penny out of pocket for my power chair. the scooter store got me back out in the world again. talk to. there is a medicare benefit that may qualify you for a new power chair or scooter at little to no cost to you.

toyota is recalling one of its older model pickup trucks because of excessive rust on the vehicle's frame. at risk 110,000 toyota tundras from 2000 to 2003, especially those registered in cold weather states. >> toyota and the government are urging tundra owners to remove the spare tire because it could fall off and create a hazard for other drivers. we have an update this morning on that massive crib recall we've been telling you about. >> the head of the consumer products safety commission has admitted her agency has not been

acting swiftly enough. >> but that's only the tip of the iceberg. as dan harris reports some baby products may not undergo the safety checks you'd expect. >> reporter: during our coverage of the massive crib recall, we heard something rather astonishing from nancy coles who runs a child advocacy group called kids in danger. >> most parents aren't aware there was no requirement the products be tested for safety before they were sold. >> reporter: wait, what? >> there was no requirement that the products be tested for safety before they were sold. >> reporter: really? can it actually be true that products for babies like cribs, high chairs and strollers have for years not been required to be tested for safety? >> consumers have the belief that if a product is sold and is on a store shelf that it must be tested by some entity to some standard. and unfortunately, that is not the case. >> reporter: it is a horrifying truth for parents like michelle witt whose son died in a dropside crib like the ones recalled. >> if there were mandatory

safety checks on these products, then you would -- lives would be saved. >> reporter: consumer groups say that the consumer products safety commission was weakened by massive government budget cuts and that manufacturers lobbied against inspection requirements that would have cost them money. >> the industry, i believe, has been standing in the way of stronger standards, especially for cribs. >> reporter: allison rhodes is a spokesperson for the industry. >> i completely disagree with that. i really feel that manufacturers are committed to saving children's lives. >> reporter: it is true that last year, congress passed a law requiring manufacturers to safety test their products. happy ending, right? here's the problem. while baby products are now starting to be safety tested, critics say those tests are based on old, lax standards. and it may take years for the government to write new, tougher standards. all of which means that many american babies may be sleeping

in unsafe cribs for years to come. dan harris, abc news, new york. >> and dan showed us michelle witt in that story, whose baby heartbreakingly died. the sad thing about it is her baby died years ago. she says it's heartbreaking to go into these stores and see the same cribs that essentially killed her child still being sold. >> a lot of parents also saying, given how long these cribs have been around they're surprised there wasn't even a warning. there was nothing until this massive recall. understandably they're upset. >> we do assume if it's on a store shelf, it must have been tested, it's probably safe. incorrectly so. sometimes. straight ahead, ideas on how to get you home for the holidays. >> we'll hear advice on sa rob, what's up? how's it going? how's it going? guys, this is my cousin rob from michigan. whazzup! he's a teenager. totally. hey, what's up? rob: all right. whoa. hey, you wanna slow down?

no. really? huh. hey! do you know what a beautiful animal is? a horse. a horse. yeah. beautiful mane. unbelievable muscle tone. when it runs, it looks like poetry in motion. it's the most beautiful thing on earth. and sometimes when you feed a horse, its lips will tickle your hand. just, just tickle it just a little bit. it makes me giggle sometimes. i don't know. i guess what i'm trying to say is, if you don't slow down, i'm going to bite into your head like an apple. and thanks, guys, for listening to my horse stories. i could talk about ponies all day long.

americans will be on the move today. aaa predicts 38.4 million people will travel 50 miles or more this thanksgiving, 1.4% higher than last year which saw a precipitous drop in the middle of the economic crisis. >> 86% of americans will be going by car. it's the tenth consecutive drop in air travel over the thanksgiving weekend.

for those of us going by air is it still possible to get a deal on a thanksgiving flight, i wonder? luckily there are a bunch of travel websites that collate last-minute deals, making it easier to see if the trip you're looking for is available. >> reporter: it is the thanksgiving travel rush. and you'd think the hard work would already be done here at the travel website kayak.com. >> do a search on new york. >> reporter: paul english still has his eye on that growing number right there. that is how many people trying to get to omaha, or wherever, are combing his website for travel deals each day leading up to the holidays. >> so today we've had just over 700,000 people already. about 1,800 people in the last minute. >> reporter: the number goes as high as 2 million in one day. people who will also likely browse through orbitz and expedia and travelocity and all those other websites, looking

for the best deal on that holiday trip to omaha. not just for thanksgiving. now the race is on for christmas and new year's. >> hello, kayak. >> reporter: this week will be the real test here at kayak for paul and his co-founder who came here after helping create orbitz. theirs is part of a new breed of travel sites. a meta search engine that combs through thousands of travel websites all at once so you don't have to. so you want to capitalize on my impatience? >> absolutely. we want to take care of people that are impatient. >> reporter: really, no matter what website we use, that is what we all want. so, with paul's help, we put together tips for saving money and also saving yourself from a little holiday travel stress. also helping out, julia diamond. julia is a travel writer who works with kayak and hosts a travel show on "national geographic adventure." >> the trick is to find stories that inspire. >> reporter: she knows her way around some exotic locations. but can she help us find the

kind of trips most of us are trying to book during the busy holiday season? >> headed into the holidays what are the best days to book travel? what are the best days to fly to grandma? >> you want to try to choose days to travel that aren't so busy. so if everyone's coming back on a sunday, to get back to work on monday, it might be good to fly in early monday morning, for example. actually traveling on the holiday day -- thanksgiving or christmas day -- that's often a good time to fly. >> just cut short the visit with the family and head out to the airport? >> here's your presents, good-bye. >> reporter: let's start with thanksgiving. is it still possible to book cheap travel so late in the game? we keep using omaha as an example. let's just do that again. let's say that we really put it off and we want to go this weekend, after thanksgiving, from new york to omaha. is there any good deal to be had? >> you love omaha. >> it's a great place, it is. >> here we go.

when would you like to leave, sir? one traveler? >> yes, there will just be the one traveler. >> you plug in your dates, when and where you want to go, press search, done. does everything for you. brilliant. >> $317 for a trip halfway across the country last minute, that's not bad. julia's tip number one -- be flexible about when you fly. a second tip from paul, be flexible about where you fly. >> many cases by flying to a local airport, a small airport, you can save significantly. because those airports have lower costs than some of the big airports. >> reporter: also, take more time. save more money. >> considering a layover when you might not have considered t a lot of pen't o if you do you can save $100 flying cross country in cert >> reporter: go off the beaten path. >> considering hotels and of.lines you may not have heard we will find users flights or hotels they may not have seen on other industry sites.

>> reporter: pack light. those baggage fees go up to $35 for the first checked bag. southwest, jet blue, and express jet are the only major carriers that offer no fees for the first bag. but you do have to pay after that. >> let me see your credit card, please. >> reporter: and when searching for deals, watch out for added taxes. it could change prices significantly. make sure the site you're searching includes it in the quote. some of them don't. holiday travel can be stressful so tip number seven is pack a survival kit. so you won't get fazed during those holiday delays. make yourselcomfas acke yourselcomfas and here's an idea, pack an empty water bottle. >> i find by bringing an empty bottle of water through airport security, then you can fill it up at afterwards. it saves you money and also keeps you hydrated on a lo >> reporter: with all the money you save, julia suggests you might invest in a pair of those noise-canceling headphones to block out the noise from that

crying baby a couple of ros finally, pack your patience and racezen. something julia learned when her plane broke down in ethiopia. >> i was getting so frustrated and irritated. just fix the plane already! end of the day, you know, there's nothing that can be done. >> reporter: they are tips that these guys say work, whether you're traveling to ethiopia or omaha. sleep process in motion. setting your lunesta helps you get the restful sleep you need. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving or engaging in other activities while asleep without remembering it the next day have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions such as tongue or throat swelling occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness and morning drowsiness. stop fighting with your sleep.

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finally this half hour, it's not that uncommon for a wounded or abandoned animal to be helped out by the kindness of a stranger. >> for one vermont man his quest to help a young moose may turn into a nasty court battle. john berman has that story. >> reporter: the northeast kingdom of vermont has a simple beauty. red barns, green hills, golden leaves. in this simple place, a simple, quiet creature is in the middle of a complicated fight. >> they don't need to kill pete.

leave pete alone. he ain't hurting anybody. >> reporter: pete is a moose. david lawrence gave him that name when he began caring for him when he was weeks old last spring. he had been attacked by dogs, separated from his mother. dave, a long-time farmer, nursed him back to health. >> he doesn't know if i'm a moose or he's a person. he loves me and i love pete. that's all i can say. >> reporter: a unique relationship that is, by definition, illegal. >> it's illegal to possess wildlife in the state of vermont. >> reporter: that is just the beginning. dave is raising pete on a hunting reserve. a fenced-in area where people pay to shoot at herds of elk. officials fear they can find herds like these are a breeding ground for chronic wasting disease that can wipe out wildlife. they worry pete, raised inside, could be a carrier. >> if that animal jeopardizes the long-term health or welfare of the entire population, you know, you can see that we have

concern and that we feel we need to deal with it. >> reporter: the state says pete can't stay on the farm. and he can't go into the wild. they're looking for a zoo or sanctuary to take him in, but so far, none will. if no solution is reached by january, he could be killed. now the battle over pete has been joined by protesters and editorials on both sides. the case may be headed to court. >> pete needs me and i need pete. and -- that's life. >> reporter: it may take a judge to decide if those needs are bigger than the state's. john berman, abc news, irasburg, vermont. >> it is very sweet, especially when you hear their background together, that he in essence saved him. >> when you hear that sweet bugling. that's when they're making all that noise. that means they're looking for love. >> oh. hopefully pete can help him out with that too.

>> hope so. >> that is the news for this half hour. you can always tel help meeeee!

c'mon deputy, let's go! hold on! take my hand! what are you guys doing out here? dad was just helping me take care of katie. you know... runaway stage. well, dinner will be ready in a few minutes. imagine what a little time can do for your family.

president obama promises to finish the fight in afghanistan. >> we are going to dismantle and degrade their capabilities. >> we'll get all the details about how he plans to do just that early next week. performance fallout. ♪ >> adam lambert's american music awards appearance brings about changes in abc's plans to put him back on tv. and, no corks to pop but that doesn't mean it's bad wine. >> i had some experiences with boxed wine which was not very good. coming here and tasting this wine, i was incredibly surprised. >> a chance to drink it all in on this wednesday, november 25th. >> cheers. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." >> they call them chateau

cardboard. or franzia or whatever you want to call it. >> they're apparently a lot of steps up from franzia in terms of pedigree. >> i've had franzia. >> pete, have you had it yet? >> yeah. >> and? >> no. >> okay. >> we'll let you decide later this half hour. good morning, i'm jeremy hubbard. >> i'm vinita nair. in less than a week president obama will make his case on afghan war strategy to the american people. it is likely he will send thousands more troops to the war zone. >> the president will need to make a powerful argument in order to convince skeptics on both sides of the aisle. here's our chief white house correspondent jake tapper. >> reporter: at a joint appearance with the prime minister of india the president said he was firmly committed to the war in afghanistan. >> after eight years, some of those years in which we did not have i think either the resources or the strategy to get the job done, it is my intention

to finish the job. >> reporter: the president did not go into much detail about what that job is. but he provided a preview of his strategy, suggesting that rooting out al qaeda and affiliated terrorists, and not nation-building, will be the priority. >> we are going to dismantle and degrade their capabilities and ultimately dismantle and destroy their networks. >> reporter: polls indicate the public is turning against the president's handling of the war. with 48% expressing disapproval, 45% expressing approval in the latest abc news/"washington post" poll. the president said he'll turn that around in his address to the nation next week. >> i feel very confident that when the american people hear a clear rationale for what we're doing there and how we intend to achieve our goals, that they will be supportive. >> reporter: the last few war council meetings were largely devoted to the president pressing the pentagon and other agencies for benchmarks for is afghan government to meet in terms of good governance, anti-corruption efforts, and troop training.

and what he called off-ramps. ways for the u.s. to exit if these benchmarks are not met. budget chief peter orszag's presence at the table was not a coincidence. with the president and congress raising concerns about the cost of an influx of troops. estimated at roughly $1 million per troop per year. president obama will also press nato for 5,000 to 10,000 more troops. after the announcement next week, pentagon officials such as defense secretary robert gates and the commander in afghanistan, general stanley mcchrystal, are expected to go to capitol hill to lobby lawmakers to continue to support what is an increasingly unpopular war. jake tapper, abc news, the white house. the obama administration has decided against signing an international treaty banning land mines. more than 150 countries have already agreed to end the production, use, stockpiling and trade of the mines. the u.s. joins other hold-outs including china, india, russia and pakistan. former top pentagon officials investigating the ft. hood shootings have visited the

site of the attack. one-time army secretary togo west and former navy chief vernon clark are heading the panel. they're reviewing military policies and procedures in an effort to prevent a similar incident in the future. retailers have high hopes. about this year's holiday shopping season. they're expecting more bargain hunters to hit stores this weekend than last year, due in part to their heavy push of early bird specials available between 4:00 and 8:00 a.m. on black friday. early start. retailers hoping for a huge spike in online sales the day after the long holiday weekend, which is known as cyber monday. >> getting up that early, watch us. sales of new homes are expected to be up when the commerce department issues its october report later this morning. and that is the good news. the bad news, one-fourth of homeowners with mortgages still owe more than what their houses are worth. david muir has details. >> reporter: it is a sobering number. nearly 11 million households

with mortgages underwater. homeowners who owe more than their home is worth. >> it's probably at its highest point ever in our measurement of it. >> reporter: but for families watching their home values plummet, there was also the news those dropping prices are no longer falling as fast. nationally, home prices are still down 8.9% from this time last year. but that drop is now in the single digits, a welcome change. when you look at 20 of the biggest cities in the u.s. the numbers get better. denver home values were down 1.2%. dallas the same. boston down 3.3%. >> it may be that the parachute's been pulled but we're still falling. >> reporter: first-time homeowners are sensing opportunity, which brings the flip side. word this week of a huge jump in sales of existing homes, up 10% last month. take phoenix, long considered ground zero in this housing crisis, where home values are down nearly 22% year to year. one year ago in this phoenix neighborhood, for sale signs were everywhere we looked.

>> three right here. >> three here and one, two, three, four -- i think three or four different homes for sale even on the other side of the street. >> seven signs on this street alone. >> right now there's two homes that are currently on the market. and there's 14 homes that have sold in the last year. >> reporter: 14 sold. encouraging. but just one part of this mixed bag that is now the housing market. economists warn that silver lining could easily crack. if unemployment remains this high. >> we can't see a real turnaround until we have income. what we're seeing right now is bottom fishing. first-time buyers coming into the market. >> reporter: many economists point out rock-bottom real estate prices ax crts for first-tim are notough thing they say it all comes back to jobs and homeowners working so hard jimplly to pay their own mortgage. the economic crisis is still toppling banks sending the government agency that insures them into the red.

the fdic is drawing on a reserve fund to stay above water. at the end of the third quarter, 552 banks were on the problem list, at risk of collapsing. that is the highest level in 16 years. 50 banks did fail last quarter. that makes 124 bank failures so far this year. on the positive side, the fdic says most banks have become profitable again. well, as millions of us head to the airport today, here's a little payback. for the first time, airlines have been fined for stranding passengers on the tarmac. continental and two smaller carriers were socked with a $175,000 fine. it stems from an incident back in august when passengers were stuck all night during a storm in rochester, minnesota, with the terminal just 50 yards away. south carolina lawmakers have started debating whether governor mark sanford's unannounced trip to visit his mistress last summer is grounds for impeachment. so far sanford has resisted repeated calls to step down before his term ends in january 2011. diana alvear has details. >> this meeting will come to

order. >> reporter: south carolina legislators took a significant step tuesday. in attempting to remove governor mark sanford from office the state house judiciary committee held a hearing investigating whether sanford's disappearance last june was an impeachable offense. >> he left his post. he left his state. he left his country without notifying anyone in authority. he was, in effect, awol. >> reporter: sanford's staff originally said he was hiking the appalachian trail. the governor ultimately admitted he'd spent five days in argentina, visiting his mistress. >> i've been unfaithful to my wife. i developed a relationship with a -- what started as a dear, dear friend. >> reporter: the committee will later investigate the findings of a state ethics commission probe that yielded 37 civil charges against sanford. among them, purchasing business class airplane tickets for international travel, including trips to argentina. use of state aircraft. and use of taxpayer money to

reimburse his campaign. >> if you look at these allegations, they do involve a level of abuse of trust. plain and simple. >> reporter: sanford's attorney disagrees. in a statement he says, we are confident we will be able to address each of these questions, none of which constitutes findings of guilt, and none of which we believe rise anywhere near to the traditional standard of impeachment. the governor was not present at tuesday's hearing. diana alvear, abc news. now here's a look at your weather. a lower pressure front delivers rain to the great lakes region and scattered showers across new england. a storm from the gulf of mexico dumps rain on florida. it will be heavy at times. some rain and snow in the northern rockies. dry and clear most everywhere else. >> 55 in new york today. 64 in atlanta. 34 in fargo. in the 40s across much of the middle of the country. 52 in albuquerque. and 66 degrees over in sacramento. wisconsin voters may be hearing a lot from jared

christensen in the coming months. he is an 18-year-old high school kid who has announced his candidacy for governor. >> a fresh face in politics, that's for sure. christensen says he was inspired to seek his state's highest office after hearing president obama's call for americans to volunteer for public service. right now, his only opponent is milwaukee's mayor who's been in politics since before christensen was born. there's no requirement that you have to finish social studies before you can actually go into -- >> right, or be able to have a beer. >> or a beard for that matter. >> you're right. >> good point. >> we'll be right back with more "world news now."

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nue through the will walk down gates of the people's house. the white house. >> that is not a joke. it's a white house-produced trailer typing today's turkey pardon by president obama. >> the video you can see all shot from the turkey's perspective after being saved from a dinner table demise. the 40-pound bird courage who is being pardoned today will be flown to disneyland and not on some dinner table. >> lucky courage. the first state dinner of the obama administration was the biggest event of the washington social season since the president's inauguration in january. >> last night's star-studded guest list extended beyond the beltway. john hendren joins us from washington with more. good morning, john. >> reporter: good morning, jeremy and vinita. it was officially a tribute to india.

but president obama's debut state dinner was also a tribute to hollywood, bollywood, and washington. the first state dinner of the obama era was democratic with a small "d." held in a tent. squeezing in nearly 340 diners on the south lawn. twice as many as would have fit in the state dining room. >> even with a big house like the white house, there's only so many people that we can invite. >> reporter: there were hollywood types. steven spielberg, blair underwood, alfrie witter. politicos like john kerry and house speaker nancy pelosi. on a night that honored india's prime minister, sometimes in presidential hindi -- [ speaking hindi ] >> reporter: prominent indian-americans including one who might aspire to live in the white house himself, louisiana governor bobby jindal. the first lady confessed to a case of nerves. >> it's sort of like a swan. we're kind of calm and serene above water. we're paddling like mad, going crazy underneath, trying to look smooth. >> reporter: they came, they toasted --

>> let our two great nations realize all the triumphs and achievements that await us. cheers. >> reporter: they quoted lincoln. >> it's not the years in your life that count, it is the life in your years. >> reporter: they dined on vegetarian cuisine. cementing bilateral ties between vegan lentil soup and dessert. state dinners can be a gauge of the economy. president clinton held 29. a decade earlier, president reagan held 57. no president wants to be seen sipping champagne in a recession. jeremy and vinita? >> good point. >> of course the president and first lady really put some of their own touches on it. they were saying the outdoor tent, they took the extra step of taking locally grown and sustainable magnolias. covering on the outside. we heard a lot about the menu. they flew in a special chef, someone with a mixed background from a restaurant called aquavit in new york, and flew him out to make sure the menu was eclectic. >> the menu sounded good. >> sounded delicious. >> almost as good as the menu at

your reception. >> thank you. >> it was good. >> that's nice. >> she had a mashed potato bar where you could put mashed potatoes in a martini glass and load it up with bacon bits. >> while i'd like to think my wedding reception is as nice as a state dinner i have to acknowledge it probably wasn't. when we come back it's time for your "skinny." if you thought that adam lambert performance was going away, think again. the new "dancing with the stars" champion. a little bit country, a little bit rock 'n' roll.

we said it before we went to break, adam lambert is not going anywhere. so in case you missed his controversial performance at the

american music awards this past sunday, you should know it was so controversial that abc, when he had a performance scheduled for "good morning america" this morning, decided to pull the plug. so before we get into the controversy, if you haven't heard the american music awards, take a listen to what he said. he was interviewed hours after abc pulled the plug on his performance by ryan seacrest on his breakfast show. >> was that planned choreography? >> the sexuality of it got a little more extreme when i got up on stage. the adrenaline took me over. i admit it and i'm proud of the fact that i did get a little carried away. i don't feel i owe anybody an apology. i performed. it was late-night tv. i did something that female performers have been doing for years. no different. it's just the fact that i'm me. and it's a little different for pe and it's renot bi deal >> i think this is kind of a situation where you have to be the judge, because wy it's not that big of a deal he's referencing two things he did.

one, he took a dancer and sort of took the person's face and rubbed it in his groin, the there and kissed a keyboard the fflea male keyboard player. right now tg ot networks are showinot o interest in that and l cbs immediately announced he'll perform live on "the early morning show." nbc's "today" show wanted to get him on. >> i think the point he made in that interview is, remember a few years back when britney spears and madonna kissed on mtv, how is this any different? >> i've heard a lot of people say part of it is he's not as established so there could be some element of simply, you're not a tried and true, tested performer, so for an opening act -- but i mean, to his credit, he's getting a lot of publicity after this. >> if his name wasn't out there before, it sure is now. >> certainly is now. >> in that sense, he's gotten what he wanted out of it. perhaps, who knows. he'll get to perform on tv too. so, "dancing with the stars. didyou ebigle? if you didn't, we have it for you.

here is your big winner. >> donnie and kym! >> so there it is. a bit of a surprise there. donny osmond pulls off the upset in "dancing with the stars." he'd done great throughout the season. everybody sort of thought mya with her partner dmitry chaplain were going to win it. they were ahead going into last night's finale, because they were consistent, had strong technical performance all along. donny really wanted it and he really got it. don't you think that all the -- he was a teeny bopper and i would guess most of the people watching that show, the demo, is probably women about his age. who remember when he was a young, hot thing. that's my donny, i'm voting for him. >> i want of wanted kelly to win. >> kelly osborne was a favorite too, she looked great, she did great, she seemed happy with the outcome. >> i was happy for donny as well. i liked he pulled his wife onstage. definitely liked that. arnold admits he makes mistakes too. >> arnold in california. >> yours is much better than

mine. you might have seen these images taken by tmz of his porsche illegally parked in a beverly hills red zone. oh, we don't have the picture, sorry. his porsche was parked illegally in a beverly hills red zone. now he's saying, i make mistakes too. this is all of course on the heels of his wife apologizing for parking her cadillac escal l thad t k thad t and no more parking -- >> i am a scofflaw anncr: and now david oreck has a payment plan that can fit every budget! so, call now and order your new xl platinum and save with his incredible pay-no-interest-ever finance plans! powerful oreck handheld --a $250 value-absolutely free! , but it won't last long, so don't delay-call now! do: hi, i'm david oreck, and this is my new platinum upright vacuum. i want you to try it risk free for 30 days. anncr you'll also receive a year's supply of filter

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here's the stories we're watching today on abc news. the annual thanksgiving migration kicks into high gear today. aaa says about 38 million americans will be traveling 50 miles or more from their home this weekend, 2% more than last year. the first family will participate in a special event in the washington, d.c. area. that follows the president's traditional pardon of the thanksgiving turkey. the space shuttle "atlantis" undocks early today from the international space station. the crews said good-bye to each other yesterday after nearly a week together. as you know, for centuries wine has been solid and served in bottles. it has been a struggle to get

drinkers even to consider buying wine sold in boxes. >> that is changing. as linsey davis reports, it could be a win-win for consumers and the environment. >> reporter: who knew there was value in thinking inside the box. fine wine takes time. boxed wine has taken even longer to catch on in the u.s. initially it had to overcome some bottom of the barrel images and nicknames like chateau cardboard or bag in a box. >> glass is really expensive to make. it's very expensive to ship. the reality is 15% of wine bottles go to recycling. 85% go in a landfill. >> reporter: once considered the stepchild of sophisticated wine, these fermented grapes with four corners have come a long way. let's take yellow and blue, for example. the name alone is intended to make you think green. the wine is made from organic grapes and packaged in recyclable cartons. >> because the boxes weigh less, you're using less fuel for transportation. >> reporter: it leaves more green in your wallet. each one-liter box is about $11. >> we're very surprised about

the quality. i've had experiences with boxed wine which was not very good. coming here and tasting this wine was incredibly surprised. >> reporter: manhattan's upscale restaurant rouge tomate was so impressed they added it to their wine list. >> manhattan diners are drinking wine out of the tetra pack at great restaurants. >> reporter: yellow and blue's 2009 wine sales are up 150%. there are several reasons why wine drinkers may think twice about hitting the bottle. for starters, these boxes, they're easier to carry. you don't need a corkscrew. and this box has one-third more wine than a bottle. more wine that typically keeps fresh longer than bottled wine and has a smaller carbon footprint. >> i love the boxed wines. we actually only carry what we're willing to drink. >> reporter: easy on the palate, planet, and pocketbook. we can all drink to that. linsey davis, abc news. >> if you look at the cost effectiveness, it sure does look like a great idea. >> the environmental impact, too.

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